Early Morning Light
by Lara1221
Summary: James finds Lily one morning in the Owlery.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. Literally. Anything.

**Also, Happy Birthday Liza!**

**A/N: **I'm really digging the whole preromance Jily stuff now. I hope I pulled it off, I haven't really written something like this before. I hope you like it! **Written for (skip this next stuff): **

**QL rnd 9: harpies' seeker: **write James/Lily in an awkward/uncomfortable situation**; disney character comp: prince phillip: **write about James I**; fav songs challenge: let it be: **write about someone who has to accept something hard**; chp 4 title acrostics: e: **early in the morning**; hogwarts bootcamp: **owlery, sunlight prompt**; hp chp title comp: letters from no one: **someone receives a letter**; hunger games comp: district 8: **write about a Gryffindor**; wand wood comp: english oak: **pre-Harry at Hogwarst story**; last man standing challenge: **marauders' era**; hogwarts fair: **entry fee**;**

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><p><span>Early Morning Light<span>

Enveloping Lily Evans in a hug on a chilly day in October, James Potter reflected that this was not how he wanted to spend his morning. In fact, James was one of those people who preferred no morning at all. Sleeping in until noon was quite alright with him.

The _sun_ wasn't even up yet, just barely peeking over the horizon, and yet James had woken up to the sound of his owl bloody poking away at the glass, written a quick letter back to his incessant mother, and walked to the Owlery so that poor Leo could get a break.

When he arrived, Lily was there, crouched down away from the hay, at the entrance to the Owlery against the wall. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were damp and she was clutching a letter as if she wanted it to not exist. She had looked up at him and back and the letter and then back up at him; a new wave of tears set in.

And because James was in love with this girl, no way around it, and they were mates now (or at least that's what they had shook on), he quickly summoned his Gryffindor courage, squashed out his fears of crying girls, slumped to the floor, and wrapped his arms around her. He gently kissed the top of her head, and Lily snuggled closer to him, making his heart rate skyrocket.

And still, she clutched the letter, nearly balled up now in frustration, and James wasn't sure what to do. Surely she did't want to read it again, but it didn't seem like she was keen on getting rid of it. She probably wanted to talk about it, but she wasn't in the right state at the moment.

So many contradictions.

And crying girls were not James's forte, not really. This did not help.

He wished, not for the first time, that he knew what was wrong, that he could not only hold her and love her, but be there for her, and help her get through whatever was happening.

She seemed to be calming down, and let out a little whimper, sniffling one last time. She reached up to wipe tears from her eyes when she suddenly realized what had just transpired.

She jumped away and James instantly felt worse.

"Oh, James! I'm so sorry. I didn't meant to put all that on you. That must've been so overwhelmingly awkward. You didn't have to—" she cut off her rambling, embarrassed, and turned a pretty shade of pink. "Yeah."

He smiled slightly. "That's alright. Do you... you want to talk about it? I would, and I'm here, if you need. But you don't have to," he added quickly. "But you can!" he added faster. "Sorry," he concluded, looking at the ground. Rambling was his absolute worst trait, he knew it.

Lily wiped a few of the tears out of her eyes, moving back to sit beside him, though not nearly as close as before. The centimeters between them felt like kilometers to James.

His heart beat faster as she moved ever closer, though. "Thank you. I should talk to someone about it, you're right. It's from my sister, Petunia, and she hates me."

This surprised him, and he looked straight into her eyes, brow crinkled. "Hate you? How could _anyone_ hate you?"

"We used to be really close, when we were little. But she hates my magic, and now she hates me. That's it. She's just gotten engaged to a bastardy oaf named Vernon, the wedding is this summer, and no doubt the only reason I'm allowed to go is because Daddy will cut her off if not." She handed the letter to him, and James carefully unrolled it, hating this sister nearly instantly for the tear tracks he saw tracing down it. "Go on," she encouraged, moving closer to him so their sides touched. His breathing quickened, but he repressed the thoughts to concentrate on the letter.

_Lily, _

_It is of my understanding that Daddy is forcing me to let you attend my wedding, which is shite if you ask me because we haven't been real sisters since you left me for that place. I tried, of course, tried to get you to pay attention to us non-freakish folk back home, and you never did like any of them._

_There are numerous important things in this letter, Lily, so do try and keep up:_

_At our wedding, you are not to speak, look at, or so much as _breathe _near any of his family, or ours that are distant, for that matter. Can't have them knowing you're not like the rest of us. _

_You will not touch any of the wonderful, expensive things Mummy and Daddy are paying for. We've already got a quarter of it planned (I was always the one who planned between the two of us) and I must tell you that if you touch anything in that wedding, it will not be a good day for you._

_And most importantly: my wedding is not a circus! If this turns into a freakshow, Lily Evans, and you so much as _think_ of those awful, freakish habits of yours, I'll send you straight back to no man's land where you can live out your days alone because you abandoned your family who loved you._

_And please kindly remember to keep your snotty, freakish arse out of everyone's way. _

_Please and Thank You._

_Petunia_

James could feel his blood literally boiling. Never, in his entire life, had he found someone so ignorant, stuck up, and needlessly cruel.

"Lily..." he said, at a loss for words. There were tears rolling down her face again, and he couldn't stand it. He reached his hands arm and every so lightly brushed them away with the pad of his thumb, looking down into her eyes, that were clenched together and trying to hold back more tears as she breathed deeply. "That woman does not deserve to have a sister like you. You are the nicest, most wonderful witch, most wonderful _person_ I've ever met, and she's a downright _bit—_."

"James, no," she shook her head, cutting him off. "Isn't that sad? I can't even think badly of her, even after everything she does to me. I want her to be my sister again and I refuse to think of her like that even though she's sworn me off."

"Don't you see? That makes you the more wonderful person, tenfold." Summoning his courage again, he grabbed her hand, laced his fingers with hers, and moved closer, so that she could place her head on his shoulder. She made him dizzy. He looked her into the eyes. "You have to let go. She's not worth it."

"I know."

The sun was steadily rising, now. The first peek of it burned through the small window and onto the owls' landing. A few of the owls hooted, discomforted. As the morning light warmed her, Lily sighed. James thought the sound was beautiful.

"I'm sorry I cried all over you."

"It was my pleasure."

In the silence that followed, the sun climbed the sky, appearing as the burning ball of light, and making them both squint. Both closed their eyes. James gripped her hand imperceptibly tighter. Lily felt it, and she smiled a little.

"I'm sorry you and your sister don't get along."

"It's not your fault."

The light was burning, now, as the full sun appeared and moved upward. She rested her body closer to his, and he smiled as the glass reflected rainbows on the Owlery floors. Her head nuzzled his shoulder, and she turned and placed a kiss on her temple. She sighed.

"Thanks, James."

"Anytime, Lils."

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><p>please let me know what you thought!<p> 


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